Sunday, June 24, 2012

Paul Orfanedes, Litigation Director of Judicial Watch, Inc. appears in this9 minute videoblog update on the fate of Full Disclosure's documentary feature covering Judicial Corruption in Los Angeles. The FDN documentary was banned by the L A Judges of the Superior Court, when they refused to let the closing statement to be recorded in a public courtroom. The documentary is now headed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals where Judicial Watch, Inc., a public interest law firm, has filed a notice of Appeal.

Leslie Dutton, Producer of the documentary of entitled"The Cost of Courage"said "our movie was almost complete when the Judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court denied our application to use the empty courtroom to record the last scene where we intended to record a statement made by former U. S. Prosecutor Richard I Fine who was taken into custody in that very courtroom. Fine was held for 18 months in solitary coercive confinement in L A County Men's Central Jail, without being charged or convicted of a crime. Read the Complaint here.

At issue in the controversy is whether or not the Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon, Department 86 Judge Ann I. Jones and Superior Court Legal Counsel Brett Bianco could legally block the documentary from being recorded in the public courtroom when it was empty. Ironically, the Superior Court announced on Friday, June 15th that 52 courtrooms were being shut down due to budget cuts. On Monday, June 18th, U S. Judge Manuel Real dismissed the First Amendment lawsuit, claiming there was no First Amendment Right to access of a pubic courtroom. And on Friday June 22, Judicial Watch filed a notice of Appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Watch the movietrailer here

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Segment #1: L A County Demands Media Retraction on Football & Frisbee Ban
L A County Board of Supervisors approve law without reading it first. . Then they find out that they banned football and Frisbees on the beaches. Citizens complain they are loosing their freedoms. CBS news reported it right but the County backtracks claiming the news media did not check with them first and demanded a correction. Veteran news editor Ron Kaye says the media got it right and that is why the Supervisors ordered the measure to be re-written in clear language.

Segment #2: Four Kings & Queen Reign Over L A County
LA County is ruled by royalty, Four Kings and a Queen who are elected to the Board of Supervisors and are elected and re-elected year after year because they control so much money. Ron Kaye describes how the five Supervisors were humiliated by their own actions, when they approved a new Beach Ordinance unanimously that banned the public from playing ball on the beach. Kaye suggests the only way it will change is if an army of citizens rise up against the government abuse and stop the government manipulation of recreational activity, nudity and drinking on the beach.

Segment #3: Government Silences Ordinary Citizens, Deciding In Private
Veteran Newsman Ron Kaye describes how the L A City Council favors special interests over the citizens at council meetings. Their unanimous votes without public participation raises the issue that they are making decisions in private before the public meetings. The California Brown Act forbids closed meetings without public attendance and participation. There is rarely any enforcement and it almost always requires financing a lawsuit to force the government to be honest.

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Los Angeles, CA Full Disclosure Network® presents this 3 minute video trailer of a documentary movie entitled"The Cost of Courage" based on a three-year television interview series covering California Court Corruption and the 18 month long solitary "coercive confinement" of 70 year old former U.S. Prosecutor Richard I. Fine. The trailer features clips from the movie with actor Ed Asner who is the narrator, Richard Fine, Rabbi Chaim Mentz along with Mary Ellen and Tory Fine.

Court Case Prevents Completion of Movie
The Superior Court ban on access to Los Angeles Stanley Mosk courthouse, Department 86 courtroom even "when empty" has prevented Full Disclosure from completing the final scenes of the movie. The request made was to use the "empty" court room to video record an account of what happened there when Richard Fine was taken into custody by the Sheriff and to the Men's Central Jail on March 4, 2009.

Judicial Watch Fights For First Amendment Rights

The public interest legal organization Judicial Watch, Inc. filed a Federal lawsuit on behalf of Full Disclosure Network® Producer Leslie Dutton and the American Association of Women, a non-profit, educational organization sponsoring a documentary movie entitled "The Cost of Courage". Named as defendants are Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon, Department 86 Judge Ann I Jones and Superior Court Legal Counsel Brett Bianco, who all denied access to the empty court room in Department 86 at a time when it was not being used.

AAW is producing a Full Disclosure Network® documentary
movie about the 18-month “coercive confinement” of former U S Attorney Richard I. Fine by L A Superior Court Judge
David Yaffe of Dept. 86 in the
downtown civil court house. The AAW had
requested use of Dept. 86 to video record, a re-enacted account, from court transcripts,
of the sentencing hearing where Richard Fine was taken into custody.

Several Attempts Rejected

AAW attempted several times to reserve
the empty court room that is public property. The final effort was made
to Presiding Judge Lee Smalley Edmon
who, through counsel, denied access As related in the letters requesting
use of Dept. 86 for no more than 30 minutes when it was not in use, was the
fact that CNN had used Dept. 86 for their piece on the Richard Fine case. Judicial Watch believes that the
public property of the court is used by various groups, including school
classes and that AAW’s request was reasonable and should have been granted.

The Superior Court Legal Counsel is
expected to file a response on behalf of the Presiding Judge Edmon or before
April 27, 2012.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Los Angeles, CA County Board of Supervisors are caught in an "April Fools" joke on an international level when they approved a sweeping "Beach Ordinance" that bans the use of footballs and frisbees on the beaches. Watch this 9 minutevideo where critics take on the County Board of Supervisors who attempt to explain the comprehensive ordinance that contains much more than the football-frizbee ban but the details were never openly debated as the public discussion was limited to only a few minutes. When the main stream media reported there would be a $1000 fine for violations of the ordinance, the Supervisors and county bureaucrats back-tracked, demanding the media correct the report. In this 9 minute video veteran newsman Ron Kaye, long time edito of the L A Daily News now blogger, puts it all in perspective. Civic activist Jon Nahhas describes the public reaction and fears for loss of liberties while Beaches and Harbors Division Chief Carol Baker defends the county's rush to change the wording of the ordinance, claiming the whole controversy was caused by an erroneous media report, The report was never retracted, corrected, but merely disappeared from the internet websites and replaced with an "update".

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Los Angeles, CA The Full Disclosure Network® has captured on video the conflicting interpretations of the Elections Code made by Orange County and Los Angeles County Registrars of Voters. The Orange County Official claims that "public voting records are confidential" therefore denied citizens and the media access to the voter rosters that document how many individual voters signed in and received a ballot at the polling precincts.

Watch his 5 minute video featuring Neal Kelley Orange County Registrar of Voters and Dean Logan Registrar of Voters for Los Angeles County, the largest County in the nation.

Viewers are asked to participate in an online opinion survey and to leave their comments as to who they believe is telling the truth. According to the Secretary of State the the L A County Registrar, voter rosters are public documents and record of the elections that are available to the public..

Related Video:
The 2011 Full Disclosure video TV series "Election Insecurity" on Orange County election procedures, featuring eye witness testimony in a short preview and all six segments can also be viewed here.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Los Angeles, CA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich is making an urgent plea to
the California Lawmakers to pass legislation to allow the Board to hold private
meetings with U. S. President Barack Obama and California Governor Jerry Brown. In this 3 minute video Antonovich explains the need
to legalize "private meetings" that exclude the public and public comment. Such meetings currently violate California’s
long standing Ralph M. Brown Act that mandates all official meetings to be open to the public with opportunity for comment
when the public’s business is being deliberated.

Lawsuit Filed Against County BoardThis month the County Board of Supervisors became the target of a Superior Court Lawsuit filed by Californians Aware, a Sacramento based, non profit watchdog organization dedicated to preserving open and transparent government.

According to the Verified Petition for Writ of Mandate and Injunction filed under Case No. BS135835 the Californians Aware lawsuit is seeking Declaratory Relief for Violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act for closed meetings held in September of 2011 that involved Governor Jerry Brown and the five members of the Board of Supervisors and others who may not have been authorized to attend or participate in legally held closed Board meetings.

Terry Francke, (left) is a highly respected legal expert on the California Ralph M Brown Act. He is the General Counsel for Californians Aware. He signed the Verified Petition under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the lawsuit and the allegations and exhibits from the public records are believed to be true and accurate. Over the years Francke has represented news organizations and citizen groups who have had difficulty obtaining public records and access to government meetings. Serving as co-counsel with Francke are Dennis Winston, President Californians Aware and .Kelly Avilas of La Verne, California.

Supervisors Call For URGENT Closed Session

But the
Board of Supervisors has posted this notice of a scheduled closed session on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 to discuss the
lawsuit and four other items. The Board has not indicated what staff members may be present
during the proposed five hour meeting.but there are five issues before
them.

Judicial Conflict of Interest? Apparently State Superior Court Judge Ann I Jones has not yet recognized the same urgency as the Board of Supervisors,for she has scheduled the first conference hearing on the lawsuit for July 6, 2012. Although the County of Los Angeles is a party to this case, and Judge Jones has admitted receiving double benefits from the County of Los Angeles on top of her State salary and benefits, she has not recused herself from sitting on the case. Like Judge Jones, all State Superior Court Judges in Los Angeles have been receiving double benefits from the County, these benefits were held to be illegal in Sturgeon v County of Los Angeles a landmark lawsuit won by the Judicial Watch public interest legal organization in 2008.

Activists Encouraged By Lawsuit

Jon Nahhasis a Marina del Rey resident and boating activist who has been critical of the Board of Supervisors for repeatedly violating the Brown Act while conducting the public's business. In particular the County's massive re-development projects on County-owned land in Marina del Rey. Nahhas has complained that County residents have been prohibited from speaking on issues to be voted upon by the Board involving proposed developments . He told Full Disclosure "the Californians Aware lawsuit comes at the most opportune time when the Los Angeles County
Board of Supervisors are continuing to ignore the parameters of the Brown Act and conduct the people’s business in private. The federal government is already imposing sanctions on the County Probation Department and investigating several other County departments. The County Sheriff’s Department has been caught planting evidence and
falsifying documents. The Supervisors have been accused of tampering
with the County’s Planning Divison employees. Key documents in Los
Angeles County Offices have gone missing and computers that would have
stored the data have suddenly broken. Many more scandals are slowly
coming to the surface as the Board of Supervisors continue to deter
public inquiry by limiting public speaking at Board Meetings. Terry
Francke and Californians Aware are forcing the County Supervisors to
comply with our laws in California and hopefully moving them in a
direction of an open government."

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Segment #1 Judicial Watch Monitoring Judicial IntegrityJudicial Watch Attorneys Paul Orfanedes and Sterling "Ernie" Norris, describe their mission to "open up" government by using FOIA (Freedom of Information Act.) requests. They discuss the Sturgeon v County of L.A. lawsuit they won against the County of Los Angeles who had been paying State Superior Court Judges illegally.

Segment #2 Who Disciplines Corrupt Judges?Ernie Norris, questions the integrity of State Superior Court Judges who accepted illegal payments from L A. County. He describes the process judicial discipline under the Commission On Judicial Performance. Two California Attorney Generals, Brown and Harris have both been asked to render a legal opinion as to the validity of Senate Bill SBX2 11 that purportedly bestowed retroactive immunity from discipline and prosecution for taking $350 million in payments from the County.

Segment #3 Good Old Boys & Judicial AppointmentsFormer Deputy District Attorney Ernie Norris describes a "Good Old Boys" association of prosecutors, criminal and defense attorneys that foster a suspicious cooperation that plays a role in elections, including judges.

Segment #4 Judicial Code of Silence RevealedJudicial Watch won their lawsuit against the illegal payments to Judges made by County Governments (Sturgeon v County of LA) Paul Orfanedes, Director of Litigation for Judicial Watch explains how $350 million was paid to Judges in Los Angeles Illegally. Judicial Watch's lead attorney describes the Judges conspiracy of silence on illegal double benefits paid to judges.

Segment#7 Arrogant Judges Make Bad Public PolicyErnie Norris is a retired L A Deputy DA in Los Angeles County whose goal was to seek justice. He describes bad public policy generated from arrogant judges decisions, citing the release of 40,000 felons from California Prisons and how the public will be impacted.

Segment #8 Judicial Abuse and Public SafetyMr. Norris discusses the battle to restore the death penalty. He fears the release of felons and the demise of the death penalty will soon threaten public safety citing plea bargaining with violent criminals does not make them non-violent. Paul Orfanedes reflects on judicial discipline when the Rule of Law is ignored.

Segment #9 Abuse of Civil Contempt CasesErnie Norris is Director of the Judicial Monitoring project for JW, he describes the checks and balances needed for the Judiciary. Paul Orfanedes, litigation Director for Judicial Watch summarizes the current status of JW's Sturgeon vs LA County case that held the illegal payments to judges were unconstitutional.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Los Angeles, CA Law enforcement and DOJ Special Agents in California are outraged that budget cuts have gutted the ability to investigate and prosecute Gangs, Drug Cartels and major crimes. Here is a 3 minute video preview of "the news behind the news" fromFull Disclosure Network®featuring DOJ Special AgentCary Cavalieri and veteran Gang specialist retired L A County Sheriff'sSgt. Richard Valdemar revealing how elected officials have created laws to protect themselves from public corruption investigations and law enforcement surveillance.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS EXEMPTED FROM WIRETAPSSgt. Valdemar explains the State Legislature passed laws to protect public officials by exempting them from wire taps when involving public corruption. When considering the recent budget cuts to Narcotic Enforcement and Bureaus of Intelligence and Investigations approved by Governor Brown, Valdemar explains the devastating impact when prosecution of drug cartels, gangs, narcotics, human trafficking, etc. are blocked.

Segment #1:Influence of Government-Instituted Bigotry in USA.Los Angeles Sheriffs Deputy Sgt. Richard Valdemar discusses how ethnic special interests, illegal immigration and drug cartels are changing the United States. He is convinced that the infiltration of drug cartels into the political system alters law enforcement activities by influencing " the way they conduct business.

Segment #2:DOJ Investigations Cut: Politics or Policy?Cary Cavalieri, Board Member of the DOJ Special Agents Association describes politics behind the severe budget cuts to the narcotic enforcement, investigations, and intelligence Bureaus of the California Department of Justice. Former LASD Sgt. Richard Valdemar International Gang and Drug Cartel expert describes all the law enforecment functions that are threatened.

Segment #3:Why Politicians Now Favoring CriminalsFormer LASD Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Valdemar says elected officials should be voted out of office because they now are protecting criminals instead of citizens. Valdemar says that the loss of funding for the DOJ investigations Bureau threatens the prosecutions of Medi-Cal fraud indictments in the Armenian organized crime community that has ties to Mexican drug cartels and will severely hurt the prosecutions case.

Segment #4:How Prisoner Releases Impact Public SafetyMassive release of prisoners in California was mandated by AB109 and signed by Governor Brown and is referred to as "Realignment". Sgt. Richard Valdemar describes why the so-called "non violent" offenders are in fact most likely violent inmates who "plea bargained" down in exchange for their testimony against others involved in the violent crimes.

Segment #5:Voters Backlash Against Politics & MediaFormer LASD Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Valdemar points out the public mood of disgust against politicians who don't follow rules and the media failure to report it.

Segment #6:Theft of Public Property and Public CorruptionGovernment agencies are going astray because there is no oversight of according the Sgt. Richard Valdemar. He says HUD and urban renewals are a good example of how money is sucked out of our system and leads down the road to bankruptcy.

Los Angeles, CA-- TheCalifornia Supreme Court has received an unprecedented Petition For Review of a Santa Monica
Small Claims Court case that started in the courtroom of Judge Lawrence Cho and
involved an attorney fee dispute between Donald Zachary, the former Vice
President of NBC News Legal Affairs in Los Angeles and American Association of
Women, the parent organization of the Full
Disclosure Network®, a non-profit, cable and Internet television program.

AAW
appealed to the Superior Court Appellant Division after Judge Cho rendered a
"VOID" decision which then the AAW filed with California Court of
Appeals, Second District. At issue was whether or not Small Claims cases are to
be decided under existing State Laws that guarantee an unbiased and fair trial
or are Small Claims cases relegated to a different standard of Justice and
application of the law?

KANGAROO COURT TV
SERIES ONLINE HERE:

The Full Disclosure Network®
has produced a Documentary TV series featuring court room witnesses to what
happened during the trial. The full six segments (8 minutes ea) arefeatured online here.http://www.fulldisclosure.net/Programs/591.php
Preview 7 minutes

ISSUES
PRESENTED TO THE SUPREME COURT1.When a trial court
judge:a) “has permitted and considered an
exparte communication thereby given anappearance of impropriety.”b) “has failed to ‘swear in’ parties and
witnesses,”

c) ”has denied a party its legal right to
present witnesses”d) “has failed to enforce a valid subpoena
for records, and”

e) “has failed to require a party to produce a statutorily required statement (calculation
of liability), is such a judge disqualified for cause from hearing the

disqualified for cause from hearing the
cases?”

2.“Is a California
Judge, who lacks personal jurisdiction, disqualified from hearing a case?”3.“Are all California
judges required to comply with the Code of Judicial Ethics?”4.“Are trial court
judges allowed to receive secret, exparte
communications froma party in a case?”5.“Are trial court
judges allowed to ignore the California Evidence Code?”

CONSUMERS
PLAN SMALL CLAIMS CASES TO SUE HONDA ON MILEAGE DISPUTES

The
L A Timesreported in this articleon December 27,
2011 that disgruntled Honda owners are abandoning their lawyers to get a fair
shake in Small Claims Court against Honda, do consumers stand a chance?